Himmelman Collaboration for a Change
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
HIMMELMAN Consulting 210 Grant Street West, Suite 422 Minneapolis, MN 55403-2245 612/998-5507 [email protected] COLLABORATION FOR A CHANGE (revised January 2002) Definitions, DeCision-makinG models, Roles, and Collaboration ProCess Guide By Arthur T. Himmelman (Permission to photocopy and distribute this paper is granted by the author) COLLABORATION DEFINED: A Developmental Continuum of ChangeStrategies Public, private, and nonprofit institutions and organizations often work together in a coalition (an organization of organizations working together for a common purpose) with communities, neighborhoods, and constituencies. In this paper, coalition is the term used for a multi- organizational process that is also called a partnership or a collaborative (state-of-the-art resources on coalition building are available at www.ahecpartners.org). Usually, coalition strategies for working together are described as networking, coordinating, cooperating, or collaborating, although the use of these terms is often confusing. This paper suggests definitions of these four strategies used by coalitions to help clarify the most appropriate use of each in particular settings. Although the examples that follow the definitions are based in health care, the four strategies are utilized in addressing a wide variety of issues. Collaborating is defined here in relationship to three other strategies for working together: networking, coordinating, and cooperating that build upon each other along a developmental continuum. It is important to emphasize that each of the four strategies can be appropriate for particular circumstances depending on the degree to which the three most common barriers to working together -- time, trust, and turf -- can be overcome. These strategies are most effective when there is a common vision and purpose, meaningful power-sharing, mutual learning, and mutual accountability for results. The definitions of terms are offered to assist decision-making about appropriate working together relationships as well as in assessing organizational readiness to make internal changes that support external multi-organizational relationships. 2 (1) NETWORKING is defined as exchanging information for mutualbenefit. Networking is the most informal of the inter-organizational linkages and often reflects an initial level of trust, limited time availability, and a reluctance to shareturf. Example: A public health department and neighborhood health center exchange information about how they each support healthy early childdevelopment. (2)COORDINATING is defined as exchanging information and altering activities for mutual benefit and to achieve a commonpurpose. Coordinating requires more organizational involvement than networking and is a very crucial change strategy. Coordinated services are "user-friendly" and eliminate or reduce barriers for those seeking access to them. Compared to networking, coordinating involves more time, higher levels of trust yet little or no access to each other'sturf. Example: A public health department and neighborhood health center exchange information about how they each support healthy early child development, and decide to alter service schedules so that they can provide their combined support in a more user-friendlymanner. (3)COOPERATING is defined as exchanging information, altering activities, and sharing resources for mutual benefit and to achieve a commonpurpose. Cooperating requires greater organizational commitments than networking or coordinating and, in some cases, may involve written (perhaps, even legal) agreements. Shared resources can encompass a variety of human, financial, and technical contributions, including knowledge, staffing, physical property, access to people, money, and others. Cooperating can require a substantial amount of time, high levels of trust, and significant access toeach other's turf. 3 Example: A public health department and a neighborhood health center exchange information about how they each support healthy early child development, decide to alter service schedules, and agree to share neighborhood outreach resources to increase the effectiveness of theirsupport. (4) COLLABORATING is defined as exchanging information, altering activities, sharing resources, and enhancing the capacity of another for mutual benefit and to achieve a common purpose. The qualitative difference between collaborating and cooperating in this definition is the willingness of organizations (or individuals) to enhance each other's capacity for mutual benefit and a common purpose. In this definition, collaborating is a relationship in which each organization wants to help its partners become the best that they can be at what they do. This definition also assumes that when organizations collaborate they share risks, responsibilities, and rewards, each of which contributes to enhancing each other's capacity to achieve a common purpose. Collaborating is usually characterized by substantial time commitments, very high levels of trust, and extensive areas of common turf. A summary definition of organizational collaboration is a process in which organizations exchange information, alter activities, share resources, and enhance each other's capacity for mutual benefit and acommon purpose by sharing risks, responsibilities, and rewards. Example: A public health department and a neighborhood health center exchange information about how they each support healthy early child development, decide to alter service schedules, share neighborhood outreach resources, and provide skill development training for each other's staff to enhance each other's capacity to support health early childdevelopment. A matrix on the followinG page provides a summary of these four workinG toGether strategies. 4 Matrix of Strategies for Working Together Definition Networking Coordinating Cooperating Collaborating Exchanging Exchanging Exchanging Exchanging information for information for information for information for mutual benefit mutual benefit, mutual benefit, mutual benefit, and altering and altering and altering activities to activities and activities, achieve a sharing sharing common resources to resources, and purpose achieve a enhancing the common capacity of purpose another to achieve a common purpose Relationship Informal Formal Formal Formal Characteristic Minimal time Moderate time Substantial Extensive time s commitments, commitments, time commitments, limited levels moderate levels commitments, very high levels of trust, and no of trust, and no high levels of of trust and necessity to necessity to trust, and extensive areas share turf ; share turf; significant of common information making access access to each turf; enhancing exchange is the to services or other’s turf; each other’s primary focus resources sharing of capacity to more resources to achieve a user-friendly is achieve a common the primary common purpose is the focus purpose is the primary focus primary focus Resources No mutual No or minimal Moderate to Full sharing of sharing of mutual sharing extensive resources, and resources of resources mutual sharing full sharing of necessary necessary of resources risks, and some responsibilities, sharing of risks, and rewards responsibilities, and rewards In reviewing this chart, please keep in mind that these definitions are developmental and, therefore, when moving to the next strategy, the previous strategy is included within it. None is “better” than another is; rather, each may be more or less appropriate. 5 COLLABORATIVE BETTERMENT AND COLLABORATIVE EMPOWERMENT The power to make decisions and the ownership of any social change process are among its most important characteristics. Both are often fundamental indicators of whether collaborative initiatives will have sustainable benefits. Decision-making power and ownership are also a reflection of a community's capacity for self-determination and can be enhanced or limited depending upon how collaboration is designed, implemented, and evaluated. In this paper, power relations in collaboration are described in two basic forms: "collaborative betterment" and "collaborative empowerment." Each form has particular effects on community ownership, self-determination, and the long-term sustainability of the coalition’sefforts. COLLABORATIVE BETTERMENT: Definition and Key Principles Collaborative betterment begins within public, private, or nonprofit institutions outside the community and is brought into the community. Community involvement is invited into a process designed and controlled by larger institutions. This collaborative strategy can produce policy changes and improvements in program delivery and services, but tends not to produce long-term ownership in communities or to significantly increase communities' control over their own destinies. Most coalitions can be classified as betterment processes. In this way, their processes are similar to those used by large institutions to deliver most human and educational services and community programs. The collaborative betterment model includes a number of keyprinciples. * Large and influential institutions initiate problem identification and analysis, primarily within institutional language, frameworks, assumptions, and value systems. * Governance and administration are controlled by institutions, although limited community representation is encouraged in advisory roles. Frequently, groups withinthe 6 coalition are intentionally separated to give decision-making roles to thoseconsidered in the community's "leadership"